Rise of Spice popularity in Dothan has police busy

West Alabama Narcotics Task Force agents seized a large quantity of Spice (synthetic marijuana) from suspects in September 2012. The Spice was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences to be analyzed for illegal substances.

File | Tuscaloosa Police Department

By Matt Elofson | The Dothan Eagle

Published: Sunday, December 29, 2013 at 11:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, December 29, 2013 at 11:47 p.m.

DOTHAN | The popularity of synthetic marijuana, otherwise known as potpourri or Spice, has reached epidemic proportions across the city of Dothan.

During 2013, 85 percent of the city's call-outs for narcotic investigators from the patrol division of the Dothan Police Department involved synthetic marijuana.

Lt. Bubba Ott, supervisor of the department's drug division, said most of the usual drugs (cocaine, meth and marijuana) are on the rise, but synthetic marijuana has quickly risen to one of the most commonly abused drugs across the city.

"It's our number one biggest problem right now," Ott said. "We're having an epidemic of the synthetic marijuana."

Ott said the department made 75 synthetic marijuana cases through 2013, which does not include the handful of trafficking synthetic marijuana arrests made this year.

Ott said one of the most common misperceptions about synthetic marijuana is that it remains legal in Alabama.

"We still get people that think it's legal," Ott said. "You get out on the street and say to them 'you got anything on you,' and they say 'oh, just some legal.'"

Synthetic marijuana became illegal in Alabama in 2012.

According to the FBI's website, synthetic marijuana is banned in the U.S. and other countries such as Great Britain, Germany, Poland, France and Canada.

Ott called synthetic marijuana very dangerous, especially when compared to naturally-grown marijuana, because it's ingesting a chemical into your body.

"These chemicals are designed to mimic THC, which is naturally occurring in marijuana," Ott said.

Ott also said he believes the drug to be popular because it often doesn't show up on drug tests, which look for THC.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration website, synthetic marijuana or Spice is a mixture of herbs and spices that is typically sprayed with a synthetic compound chemically similar to THC, the psychoactive ingredients in marijuana.

The DEA website also said synthetic marijuana is often marketed as incense or "fake weed" and looks like potpourri.

Ott said the typical price for one packet of synthetic marijuana on the street is about $30.

Ott said many of the packets seized by police in their investigations were labeled as being legal. Just because it says it's legal on the packet doesn't mean it's actually legal.

Ott said in one of the Dothan Police Department's largest synthetic marijuana cases this year the suspect, 39-year-old Vimalkumar B. Patel, told police he thought it was legal. But Ott said their investigation determined Patel was selling the illegal drugs from his van behind the store he owns off East Main Street called Woodham's Convenience Store.

Patel has a drug trafficking charge that remains pending after police seized 4 kilos, or 8 pounds, of synthetic marijuana. Police seized 533 packets of synthetic marijuana as part of their investigation.

Ott said synthetic marijuana is classified as a felony unlawful possession of a controlled substance crime, a classification which also includes drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine and unlawfully obtained prescription medication. Someone charged with felony possession of marijuana faces a specific charge of first-degree possession of marijuana.

Ott said there are quite a few differences between synthetic marijuana and naturally grown marijuana, including how much is required to legally make a drug trafficking charge in Alabama.

Ott also said it's more difficult to make a marijuana trafficking case than a synthetic marijuana trafficking case because of the differences in weight required.

Ott said police have to catch the offender with over 2.2 pounds of marijuana to charge them with trafficking marijuana. But he said because synthetic marijuana is classified as a controlled substance it takes only 28 grams seized by law enforcement for them to file a drug trafficking charge.

"Typically if you have enough for trafficking weight you're obviously doing more with it than personal use," Ott said.

Ott said typically it only takes a few packets of synthetic marijuana for police to charge the offender with drug trafficking. He said each packet contains about 10 grams of synthetic marijuana.

But Ott also said synthetic marijuana isn't the only illegal drug commonly trafficked across the city. He said methamphetamine is still quite regularly trafficked.

He said meth trafficking arrests in Dothan remain steady. But he said the amount of methamphetamine seized in most of the trafficking meth cases has decreased to just barely surpass the required 1 ounce or 28 grams mark required for trafficking cases.

Ott said narcotics investigators are finding fewer meth labs, which often are found in motel rooms. But the most commonly used way to cook meth has evolved over the past several years into the "shake and bake" method, during which he said a soda bottle is often used to mix a couple of ingredients together.

"The shake-and-bake method is more mobile," Ott said. "It's much easier to conceal and easier to clean up. The entire cook method can be completed in less than an hour."

Ott also said laws regulating the purchase of pseudoephedrine -- a key ingredient for meth -- has helped curtail some of the meth crimes. Pseudoephedrine is an ingredient in some medicines bought at pharmacies. The regulations now limit how much people can buy, which he said makes it more difficult to cook large amounts of meth.

Ott said much of the meth seized in many of the latest meth trafficking cases has been brought from Mexico.

"I think crime is fueled by the drug trade," Ott said. "I'd say the vast majority of burglaries and robberies are drug related. It all boils down to drugs and feeding that habit."

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